Talk about an early birthday present.
Homewood-Flossmoor’s three star-ranked offensive guard Marcus Harper II (6-foot-4, 300 pounds) announced his college decision on Thursday --his birthday—in committing to the Oregon Ducks.
"People are asking me why Oregon? I say why not Oregon," Harper II said. "Oregon has everything I was looking for in a school and after my official visit I knew I was ready to commit. I've been committed to Oregon for the last two weeks and it was a lot of work to keep it quiet but I was able to pull it off."
Harper II, who is back at Homewood-Flossmoor this summer after spending the spring semester at Simeon, pointed to several factors in his selection to play in Eugene.
"Oregon is, first of all, a great school and it's also a great situation for me. They have seven senior offensive linemen on the roster so the coaches expect me to come in ready to compete right away. The official visit was big for me in a lot of ways. The school really lived up to the hype and I was able to see and experience a lot about Oregon that you don't see unless you visit. Everyone that I met from Oregon seem to be really genuine people and kind. The coaches at Oregon made me feel very welcomed and at home right away and the official visit made a big impact on my decision. Family is always my biggest priority and Oregon feels like family."
Harper had narrowed down his final three schools to Oregon, Iowa State and Purdue and made official visits this summer to both Eugene and West Lafayette